"Hollow Game EP"

The EP's two tracks show just how versatile these relative newcomers really are

Soul Trader Records have a reputation for providing some serious musical depth to the ever-hungry drum & bass community, with releases from such acclaimed artists as BCee, Philth, Total Science and Zero T, to name just a few. Their newest debut signing, in the form of Ill Truth with their forthcoming Hollow Game EP, fit this description to a tee.

The opening track, Light Break, kicks off with a typically dreamy pad line that leads into a light suggestion of the main break. I can already imagine this gracing an eager crowd in the rave, waiting for the inevitable toughness that this production outfit are becoming synonymous with - and the drop does not disappoint. Reminiscent of older flavours of the genre (think Jubei or Skeptical circa 2010), the rolling sub brilliantly fills out the bottom end, in tandem with a very clean, organic-sounding drum line, all of which is pulled off with a technicality rarely seen from artists so fresh onto the scene.

Next up we have the title track, Hollow Game. This track demonstrates the versatility of Ill Truth in their ability not only to create dark, atonal pieces, but also to delve into the lighter side of liquid D&B. The opening piano reminds me of early Lenzman vibes: although tonally major in composition, it still creates a poignant and thought-provoking atmosphere through its various accompanying harmonic aspects, which really draw the listener into a calm and meditative space. The main body of the track follows in much the same way, the drums in particular totally filling out the dynamic range of the tune without becoming overpowering at any point. A track for the deep heads if I ever heard one!